Orderly Chaos
by Angelwiththeblackestwings
Summary: "What is it you want me to tell you Fullmetal? That the good guys always stay true and wear shining armour destroying the bad guys with the pointy horns or black hats. That this world is terribly simple, we always beat the bad guys, save the day and live happily ever after. You can't expect me to lie to you like that"
1. Chapter 1

_Authors note: Just to say thanks for clicking on this story! Although I'd recommend reading this AN so you can understand some changes I've made to the FMA universe. Firstly and most obviously, Colonel Mustang does not exist, neither does Hawkeye. (I tried to get them to come but they were busy doing... work..) Soo instead you get a different Colonel Chase and a different lieutenant. All other characters are the same. This story also throws the general story of FMA into chaos but it can probably be more closely related to the story of Brotherhood. I've tried to keep most of the characters true to brotherhood and you will recognise some parts as being brotherhood with my own twist to it, this story mainly follows a different storyline, much like the original anime and brotherhood, some characters, different story. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! _

"Dammit Al, we're gonna be late!" Edward shouted, looking desperately at his surroundings, the soft spring light make his golden hair shine as he whirled round to face his brother. The suit of armour sighed.

"We wouldn't be lost if you had just asked for directions, brother" Alphonse told him, his red eyes glowing as he stopped and faced Edward. Edward let out a sound of frustration and proceeded to tug at his hair, the braid coming loose as strands of hair fell out and lined his face. They were standing in the middle of Central, completely lost, knowing that they had to make it to Central Command before midday. Edward was painfully aware of the clock tower to his side whose hands ticked ever closer to the top of its face.

"Lost?" A voice asked from behind, Ed and Al turned quickly to face the owner of the voice. A black haired girl stood in front of them, looking slightly amused at their faces.

"No!" Edwards's indignant reply came immediately. This only seemed to amuse the girl further, her dark eyes laughing at him. His golden eyes stared back, narrowed in annoyance as the girl took amusement in his blatant lie.

"Brother..." Al said softly. He looked at the girl standing looking at the two of them, behind her sarcastic smile was interest, which wasn't surprising, considering the state of them both, after all he was nothing but a suit of armour and Ed appear to be a small ball of rage. "We're looking for Central Command" He told her. "Can you help us?"

The girl nodded, her hair blowing round her face slightly. She shoved her hands nonchalantly into the pockets of her long black coat and told them. "Just turn right up that street and you'll see it, although, you can see it from here..." Looking down at Edward she changed her mind. "Although, at your height I'm not surprised you can't see it"

Al had no time to warn her to run before Ed exploded. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD FIT ON A POSTAGE STAMP!"

The girl looked mildly shocked, blinking as Ed continued his rant. Alphonse physically held him back as he seethed. Without removing the small smirk on her face she turned away and walked off. "I hope you find what you're looking for" She called back to them, lifting her hand to wave them farewell, her coat and hair blowing slightly in the wind.

"Come on Al" Ed said, turning away from the shrinking figure of the girl, "We can't miss our meeting with the Colonel"

The brothers began to walk the way the girl had told them, passing shops and harried people all hurrying in different directions through the street, all knowing exactly where they were going. Just as the girl had said, the large, blatantly obvious central command stared ominously down at them as they reached the end of the street, the Amestrian flag waving lazily from its walls. "Well, looks like the airhead told us the right direction"

Alphonse looked down at his brother, disappointed slightly at his attitude. "Brother, that's not nice, she helped us after all, just because she... uh... said you were short, doesn't make her an airhead"

"Yeah, whatever" Edward said dismissively. Focused on the building in front of him, before he took the alchemy exam, he had been assigned a Colonel to monitor his progress and declare him fit for the state alchemy exam, and he had to be on time, especially due to the fact that he'd been assigned the formidable Colonel Chase, whose reputation as the flame alchemist, hero of Ishbal preceded him. Impressing him enough to let him do the exam would be hard. Edward tightened his fingers, aware of the slight clank of his automail hand. He would impress the Colonel and he would pass the test and then, then he would get his brother back in his body.

The brothers walked in silence to the entrance of the central command, he gave their names to the soldier on guard who looked through a list then nodded, looking suspiciously at Alphonse before waving them on. Ed had wanted to say something to the guard as he waited for him to finish staring but thought better of it, knowing that stupid actions could get him kicked out. The lift guard also looked suspiciously at the two of them before letting them through and then they were in central command being led towards the Colonel's office through what seemed like a maze of corridors. The soldier leading them introduced herself as Second Lieutenant Maria Ross; she was pretty with short dark brown hair.

"So you're another of the Colonel's pledges" The soldier said, walking briskly down the corridors. "Good luck, the Colonel hasn't approved a single applicant that was assigned to them; we have a bet on that they won't approve anyone"

Edward gulped slightly, not liking the sound of the information the soldier had given him, oblivious to the boys' discomfort. The soldier continued. "You're lucky actually, the Colonel only really comes to Central for important business and isn't usually assigned pledges, they usually stay in Eastern Command, although I heard that the Colonel wants to transfer back here for a while after the State Alchemy exam." The soldier stopped halfway down a corridor and then pointed to a door and told them to knock, then left them to brave the doors themselves, wishing them good luck before disappearing down another corridor.

"She was nice brother" Alphonse said, looking down the corridor, noticing the soldiers glancing at the two of them warily as they passed.

"Yeah, but she's made the Colonel seem really tough, I mean, he hasn't approved any applicants who were assigned to him, how will he react to us, I mean we're just kids, maybe we should try something else, Al"

Al looked at his brother. "If that's want you want, brother" he said quietly.

Edward stopped, gritted his teeth and raised his fist, taking a deep breath before knocking. Al looked at him before assuming his brother was going to give it a go anyway.

"Enter" A voice from behind the door called. Ed pushed open the door and saw desks placed formally together in a large room, with an open door leading off into a private office, most likely the Colonel's private office. It was decorated sparsely with potted plants scattered about and a two large sofa's facing each other around a coffee table. Three men stared at him, all dressed in the blue colours of the Amestrian uniform, some however were dressed more neatly that others, one tall, skinny and going grey, another stout and ginger with a small smirk on his face, the last one was small with black hair and glasses, fiddling around with a radio. A tall, blonde haired man came out of the private office and smiled slightly, a cigarette hanging from his lips.

"You must be Edward and Alphonse Elric" He said, motioning them towards the office.

"Colonel Chase?" Edward asked, moving further into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"That's me" He told them, giving a quick glance to the still smirking ginger man. "Come into my office"

Edward nearly ran into the office, happy he wasn't in trouble for being a few minutes late, Alphonse followed him closely and the Colonel walked round the desk occupying the room and sat down in the large comfortable looking chair behind it. "So, which one of you is the state hopeful?" He asked, folding his hands together on the desk.

"That's me, Sir" Edward told him, trying not to look too jumpy.

"Well then, I suppose I should run you by some rules" The Colonel announced. "Never refer to me as anything but Colonel, but you may call me your majesty if you want, oh and I am the flame alchemist, the exceptional"

The Colonel continued to lay down some weird rules and Edward felt his face become fixed in a position of confusion. "Huh?" He muttered, glancing at his brother tentatively. Was this nut serious?

"Well Havoc, I hardly think I'm that extravagant" A feminine voice came from behind them all and Havoc shot up, the cigarette nearly falling from his mouth as the jumped from the chair.

"C-Colonel" He stuttered, saluting clumsily. Ed turned slowly to face the voice but the owner had turned around, hanging a long coat on a hanger and carrying coffees. She turned and Ed felt his face turn red. It was the girl from earlier.

He tried to think of something smart to say as he stood up quickly, nearly tripping over his feet, he quickly mulled words over in his head before spluttering. "You're a girl!?"

From the open door behind her, Ed could see the three men he had passed grimacing, he realised why as he turned his eyes back to meet the Colonel's. The thunder that met him then nearly caused his knees to buckle. He had just idiotically pissed off the Colonel, _the_ Colonel, the flame alchemist only twenty minutes after losing his temper at her. He had just messed up his chance to take the exam.

"Of course I'm female" The Colonel said through gritted teeth. "What did you expect?"

For a second Edward though the Colonel was going to hit him, or maybe fry him but after that second passed the moment of thunder passed and her eyes cleared, becoming professional again. "So I take it you're Edward Elric" She said coldly, taking her coffee and sitting down in the chair as Havoc quickly moved out of the way. She leant back and stared at him and his brother, her dark eyes seeming to stare into his soul.

"Y-yes Sir" Edward managed to conjured up the words from somewhere in his head. The Colonel narrowed her eyes at him, as if trying to figure something out before her eyes relaxed and she turned to Havoc.

"Don't you have work to do, Lieutenant Havoc?" The Colonel asked, giving him his cue to leave.

"Yes, Sir" Havoc answered before swiftly leaving the room, grabbing the last cup of coffee from the desk and shutting the door behind him. The Colonel waited until the door closed, taking a sip of her own coffee before saying anything, staring at the boys intently as if trying to piece together a puzzle that only she could solve, when she did speak, her voice sounded more casual, as if she was talking more openly.

"What's the story?" She asked. "Why do you want to become a state alchemist?" Leaning forwards and propping her elbows on the table she settled her chin onto her knuckles and fixed Edward with her cold, black eyes.

"I just think that I can make a big difference to the world if I study alchemy with the army, after all, you guys have the biggest alchemic library in the country and I think that with that knowledge, I can truly change the world" Edward sighed slightly, relived he had gotten that bit right having practiced the answer in front of the mirror back in Risembool before they had come to Central.

"Bull" Came the reply, so quick and quiet that it made Edward look up in shock.

"W-what?" He asked, fidgeting in his chair. He glanced at Al who looked back at him, not saying a word.

"You just lied to me Edward, I'm not blind and I'm certainly not stupid, now tell me the real reason why you want to become a dog of the military" Her voice remained calm, but Edward could sense anger beneath it.

"I can't tell you" He replied, lowering his head and staring at his hands.

"Then go home"

"What? No!" Edward jumped up. "You can't do that! We need this! We... We really need this" He sounded like a kid pleading his innocence to a parent but the Colonel didn't yield her icy tone.

"Then tell me the true reasons behind you taking this exam. Your brother's armour for example-"

Edward cut her off. "It's an alchemy training tool, our teacher told him to wear it" He was fumbling for words now, trying not to get himself kicked out of his one shot.

"-Is hollow" The Colonel finished once Edward had stopped talking, Ed and Al both gasped and looked at her, her cold eyes taking their shocked expressions into their stride. "When we met earlier, I heard you walk, Alphonse. You echoed within yourself, meaning that there is no one inside that armour, certainly not a boy and don't think I can't hear the sound of your automail arm, Edward"

The room was utterly silent as the Colonel took another sip of her coffee, waiting for an explanation. Seeing the two boys' lost expressions she softened slightly. "Look, There has to be a real reason why you want to take this exam, and I can't send you through it if I don't know your true intentions. I can't stand by you and help you through it if I have to worry about the consequences of my own actions, so you need to give me something"

Edward sighed, looking much younger than he had when he had come into the office. "We tried a human transmutation." He told the Colonel, seeming to shrink into himself as he waited for her to explode and shout at him for his taboo, instead she nodded and let him continue his story, although he didn't miss her eyes narrowing or her lips tighten as he said it. "We just...We wanted to see our mom again, we wanted to see her smile but it all went wrong. Al lost his body and I lost my leg"

"And then you gave your arm in exchange for your brother's soul, which you then bonded to that armour" The Colonel finished, her eyes still narrowed slightly at the two boys in front of her.

"Yeah" Edward said, almost sinking into the seat.

"We're really sorry, we... we didn't know any of that would happen, we...we just wanted to see her smile one more time" It was the first words Alphonse had spoken since they had reached the office and Edward couldn't help but squirm at the sadness which filled his brother's voice.

"So I made a promise, to my brother, that I would get our bodies back, whatever it took and-"

"And you need the military's help" The Colonel finished his sentence again and leant back, absorbing the information, sitting motionless for what was only few seconds but to Edward and Alphonse seemed to last forever. The Colonel sat back up and grabbed a form which sat on the desk in front of her and stamped it with a large red stamp. She stood up and made her way round the table, dropping the page onto Edwards lap as she passed. Edward's heart sank as he prepared what he was going to say to Al for hitting a dead end. The Colonel opened the door opened the door and almost as an afterthought turned back to Edward and said. "Don't let me down Elric"

She left the room, and Edward slowly gained the courage to read the form that had settled on his lap. He could see the scrawl of his handwriting on the familiar form he had filled in to apply for the exam his photograph stared back at him and stamped in red over the form was the word 'approved' and Edward allowed himself a small smile as he looked at Al and said. "I can do this Al, I'm gonna get our bodies back."

_AN 2: So I'd like to ask what you think of me making the Colonel female? Do you like it, hate it or not sure? _


	2. Chapter 2

"So boss, what do ya think of them?" Havoc asked as the Colonel closed the door behind her. He was sitting in his own chair now, hands behind his head and feet on the table, cigarette hanging from his lips as usual and as if on cue the other people in the room stopped to listen to her response. They didn't make it obvious that they were listening, but Fuery stopped fiddling with his radio for a second, Breda stopped chewing on his muffin and Falman paused his writing for a moment, just to see what the Colonel had to say.

"I approved them" She replied quietly, leaning on the back of the sofa, thinking back to the desperation in the boys' eyes as she had told them to go home, the pleading and defeated nature of their body language had been all too evident. She had recognised them instantly as she had walked to her favourite coffee shop, having memorised all of their pictures, she hadn't known who the suit of armour was but had quickly pieced the information together. Although she had looked uninterested, she had been noting down little things about the brothers from the first time she had seen them. The hollow step of the armour, the slight clicks as an automail arm clenched its fists. The slightly look of loss and bewilderment on Edwards face and most prominently perhaps, the desperate need for each other that seemed to bind the boys together.

"You approved them? That's great boss!" Havoc said happily, removing his cigarette long enough to take a sip of his coffee. He replaced the cigarette and began to look in his pockets, presumably for a lighter, not noticing the look of annoyance Falman gave the cigarette.

"Hmm" The Colonel muttered. Looking up as the outer door opened and Hawkeye walked in, complete with a pile of forms. The man set them on the table neatly before raising his eyebrows at the Colonel.

"Shouldn't you be interviewing the pledge, Sir?" He asked as he distributed the paperwork evenly between the subordinates. He took the remaining cup of coffee from the desk and took a long drink, savouring the sharp taste of the still hot coffee.

"She already approved him" Havoc announced, looking at the paperwork he'd been given in complete disdain, not planning to pick up his pen anytime soon. He read over the contents lightly and scowled, wondering how he always got the long ones.

"Really?" Hawkeye asked, sitting down at his desk and picking up his pen. "That's the first one you've approved, what changed?"

"I got an answer I wanted to hear" Came the reply from the small figure of the Colonel, five pairs of eyes glanced at the door to the inner office where the two brothers still remained, most likely in shock while the Colonel held her set of papers in her hands looking down at the sheets and thinking of how easy it would be to turn them to ash if she was wearing her ignition gloves.

"Still, Sir, I can't help but think you pulled the short straw on this one" Breda told her, throwing the muffin wrapper into the bin, it missed and Breda got up to place it into the bin after receiving a glare from Hawkeye.

"I think that she was handed the short straw," Falman said, after thinking through what he said carefully, taking care not to say anything that could rebound on him before he spoke. "After all, most of the pledges you've had have been complete failures or mental cases"

"Yeah, one of them destroyed my radio then told me it was my fault I didn't tell him it wasn't broken" Fuery piped up, looking slightly sad as he tinkered with the still broken radio. He had nearly lost hope for fixing it.

"I can't help but wonder if it was General Hakuro who handed you the short straw," Hawkeye mused, signing a paper as he said the words. He didn't notice the interested looks the rest of the subordinates gave him, but he could feel the look that the Colonel gave him, one that told him to keep his opinions quiet but he knew the Colonel agreed with him, even without her saying anything. "After all, he gave you the list with the names, and I can't help but remember the look of what I'd describe as sadistic glee as he handed it to you."

"Maybe so, but voicing opinions like that can get you in trouble, Lieutenant" The Colonel told him, confirming what he thought. It was a well known fact around Eastern command that General Hakuro had a dislike for the Colonel, although the source of this dislike wasn't known, the Colonel's subordinates couldn't help but wonder if the dislike had extended the whole way back to the Ishbalan war, where rumours made their way round hushed desks that when the Colonel had been under Hakuro's command she hadn't been the best at following his orders, although it had never been proven by anyone. The Colonel didn't seem to pay much attention to the rumours though and some wondered if she got amusement from the General's dislike and his inability to act on it.

Havoc broke the feeling of tension with a laugh "Honestly Sir, when the kid spluttered out how you were female I honestly thought you were going to fry him, you had that intense look in your eyes and I thought you were going to fry me too"

The Colonel smiled slightly evidently amused by his words "I've grown used to it, sometimes it may even come in handy; when the enemy are too busy contemplating the fact that I'm female they become easy targets, forgetting completely who they are dealing with."

The door of the inner office opened and all eyes landed on the Elric brothers, who had seemingly recovered from their second encounter with the Colonel. They walked out and the Colonel didn't miss the look of shock that passed through Hawkeye's eyes as he took in the sight of the child and the suit of armour.

"Well, I assume you've absorbed the fact of being approved," The Colonel said and without waiting for a reply continued. "I suppose I should introduce you to my team; Master Sergeant Kain Fuery,"

Fuery stood up so he could be seen behind the huge radio and gave a small salute, smiling warmly at the boys.

"Warrant Officer Vato Falman,"

Falman also stood up, saluted, and then sat down in his normally overly formal manner before going back to his paperwork, absorbing himself almost immediately.

"Second lieutenant Heymans Breda,"

Breda didn't get up and salute instead waving lazily, still smirking slightly from the boys' belief that Havoc had been the Colonel.

"Second lieutenant Jean Havoc,"

Havoc grinned, and gave a mock salute to the boys, cigarette dangling from his mouth as he grinned looking at Edward's expression of embarrassment at the joke he'd played on them.

"And First Lieutenant Ryan Hawkeye."

Ed and Al looked to the last man in the room, who regarded them with quiet interest as he threw a signed paper into a steadily growing pile, once he was introduced to them all he noticed the coffee cups they all had around their desks, many of them still half full and being enjoyed. It looked like the Colonel had bought all her subordinates coffee, which in a way showed Edward how tight knit the team was.

"Yeah, and you've probably figured out that that's the Colonel" Havoc offered sarcastically, lighting his cigarette and grinning. Hawkeye sighed, stood up and took the cigarette out of Havoc's mouth throwing it into the trash despite Havoc's loud, whiny protests. Hawkeye sat back down, ignoring the look of daggers being aimed at him from across the desk.

"Yeah, we figured that" Edward said as most of the Colonel's team and the Colonel herself looked at them with amused looks, he squirmed uncomfortably and looked from Alphonse to the Colonel. "Umm, so now what, Colonel?" He asked awkwardly, not fitting into the tight friendship the team seemed to possess.

"Now Edward, you and Alphonse find a place to stay for a while because- " The door opened suddenly, hitting the wall as it was flung against the wall making the Colonel grimace as only a few people entered so exuberantly, and the majority of them were already in the room.

"Yo! Emily! I heard you approved your first alchemist," Hughes practically bounded in as the attention of the room turned to him. He walked up to Alphonse and shook his hand eagerly. "Wow, you must be really dedicated to your alchemy wearing that thing; oh I see you're here with your son! That's great I have a daughter and-"

"Hughes"

"- she's the most adorable kid in the world! A complete bundle of cuteness! I just have to show you pictures. I'm sure I could also find pictures of the Colonel when she was younger if you can imagine, after all she's only twenty-"

"Hughes!"

Hughes stopped mid-flow and turned to the Colonel, oblivious to Alphonse physically holding Edward back from ripping off his head and not bothering to notice the look of thunder in the Colonel's eyes. "Yeah, Emily? What's up?"

"Wrong person" The Colonel pointed to a struggling Edward who was muttering profanities in Hughes's direction. "The kid is the pledge, not his brother"

"What?" Hughes stopped and looked at Edward then to Alphonse then back to Edward. "But he's so short!"

Edward lost it then. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULDN'T SEE OVER THE TABLE YOU MASOCHISTIC JERK!"

Hughes noticeably took a step back as Al struggled to keep a hold of his brother, his metal hands only gripping onto the bright red leather hood of Edward's coat. Havoc laughed in the background, sounding slightly worried as Edward continued shouting. Even the Colonel let out a sly smile at Hughes's discomfort before interrupting Edward mid-flow; "Alright Edward, that's enough of your little rant"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE COULD ONLY BE SEEN WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS, YOU JERK?!" It was the Colonel's turn to blink as Edward's wrath turned on her. Hughes slapped her on the back, relieved that he was no longer the target.

"Well now Colonel, that's a nice little pledge you got there" He said as Edward launched into another rant. As the Colonel refrained from punching Hughes in the face with all her being Hawkeye cocked his gun and Edward shut up immediately, scared into silence by the gun.

"That better, Colonel?" Hawkeye asked before putting the gun back in its holster. The Colonel nodded and looked at the now panting Edward. Hughes grinned, the first of the room bar Hawkeye and the Colonel to recover from the rant, as all of the other subordinates with similar shocked faces still staring blankly at Edward.

"So you're the alchemist pledging for the Colonel." Hughes shook his hand happily, saying nothing about the feeling of metal beneath the boy's thin gloves. "Well done for being approved, after all she's kicked out everyone else"

"How did you find out so quickly that I'd passed a pledge, Hughes?" The Colonel asked, turning her cold eyes on Hughes.

"New travels fast in investigations" He told her, smiling innocently.

"I'm sure. Now what are you doing _here_"

"Well, I heard that these two didn't have a place to stay so I came to offer them a place with me and Gracia until they pass the exam" Hughes said as the other members of the room began to recover. Edward looked at Hughes in shock.

"Huh?"

"Great that's settled then! Now grab your bags and let's go! " Maes all but dragged Edward out the door as Alphonse followed suit, lifting the small suitcase as he trotted worriedly after his brother.

"Thank you Colonel" Alphonse said quietly before leaving the office. The silence that followed was quickly broken by Havoc's guffaws bellowing through the room as he struggled to stay in his chair. His laughter appeared to be infectious as Breda joined his laughter with Fuery giving a small giggle; even Falman gave a small smile at the scene that had just unfolded.

Hawkeye sighed, but it sounded strangely like a laugh as the Colonel ran her hands through her hair.

"Wow Colonel, you're gonna have fun pledging him" Havoc said in between his laughter.

"Oh Shut up Havoc."

_AN: I should probably be revising for exams right now... but honestly, I can't be bothered! So instead I wrote this =)_


	3. Chapter 3

"You'll just love my Gracia; she makes the best meals anyone could ask for!" Hughes told the boys, nearly skipping down the corridor with delight. They were making their way out of Central Command quickly; Hughes had stopped dragging Edward a few corridors back and had taken to babbling to the brothers instead. "Oh! And my daughter Elicia is the cutest bundle of joy you'll ever see! Look!"

Hughes shoved a picture of a smiling kid in front of Edward's face; Edward looked at it, and then handed it to Al. "Yeah, she looks cute." He told Hughes as Al handed the photo back.

"She is! You'll love her! She's been learning how to read herself and she's just so smart!" Hughes continued babbling as they left Central Command, some soldier looking sorry for the boys as they heard what Hughes was talking about, others were just thankful it wasn't them he was chatting to. When they were back in the cold, nippy air of spring, Edward looked over to Hughes who was still talking amiably about his family. He thought about the easy way Hughes had interacted with the Colonel, even when she had looked ready to fry him.

"Hey Hughes," Edward started, getting Hughes attention as he stopped mid-flow, turning his eyes on Edward. Al also looked at Edward, wondering what his brother would ask now. "How do you know the Colonel so well? I mean, you guys seem to be good friends."

Hughes nodded, serious now. "Yeah, me and the Colonel have known each other a while, whole way back to the academy. Hated each other back then but a lot has changed since then." Edward could see the memory in Hughes face as he remembered his rather adventurous time at the academy with the Colonel.

"I didn't think alchemists went to the academy" Alphonse said thoughtfully, interrupting Hughes's happy memories.

"She didn't go to the academy as an alchemist; in fact we didn't even figure out that she was an alchemist until a few months into her stay at the academy." Hughes told them, pushing his glasses up his nose from where they had slipped down, knowing the full well the Colonel's reaction if he spread stories about her time in the academy, still he realised he didn't care and considered it payback for not buying him a coffee earlier.

"What happened to make you figure it out?" Edward asked, suddenly interested in the Colonel's past. He couldn't imagine someone like the Colonel keeping her alchemy a secret, especially since it was flame alchemy.

"Well, she joined at sixteen, the youngest recruit there, honestly I still have no idea how she got in but she did. As you've probably noticed the Colonel doesn't look especially tough or strong, and because of her age, many of the recruits picked on her, teasing her about different things. Emily however, she didn't pay any attention and I hate to admit, I was one of the ones who teased her. Anyway, she made a friend, an Ishbalan-"

"An Ishbalan?" Edward asked, surprised. "But I thought they weren't allowed to join the military."

"They were before the Ishbalan rebellion, they were considered Amestrian citizens then" Hughes informed them. "The Ishbalan was a quiet man, never spoke out against people being cruel about his origins or got into fights about it. The Colonel however, well let's just say she lost her temper a bit one day and set those current offenders' shoes on fire, using a circle she'd drawn in class and the flame from the ovens. Right in the middle of the canteen she set fire to their shoes. Those idiots couldn't walk for a week. The fuehrer was visiting the academy at the time and before she could be reprimanded properly, called her for a meeting to offer her a place as a state alchemist, as long as she could create the flames again. After the canteen incident she was still pretty volatile and sent flames straight to the fuehrer's face, stopping inches away from his nose before walking out, taking the huge flames with her. She was immediately granted the title of state alchemist, being granted the title of Major the second she left the academy. After that people pretty much stopped making fun of her and the Ishbalan." Hughes finished his story, amused at the looks on the two boys' faces. "What? Didn't think the Colonel would do something like that, believe me, I could tell you some stories about her."

Edward blinked. "I just couldn't imagine her doing something like that, especially to the fuehrer; I mean that could be considered treason, right?"

"Possibly, depends on what mood the fuehrer's in" Hughes answered thoughtfully, looking at a payphone as they passed, the red standing out against the green grass.

"But Hughes, you still haven't told us how you two became friends" Al pointed out, still carrying Edward's suitcase, the group had moved from the park and were now walking down a long street going into the city. They passed shop owners closing up their stores, probably heading back to their families, similar to Hughes.

Hughes laughed, continuing his story "Well, after the 'flame incident' as we'd called it. Most of the teasing had stopped but the group of soldiers she had destroyed the shoes of weren't happy, they were sons of army big shots and planned to become better than their fathers. I hung out with them for a while and they were completely full of themselves, convinced that they were going to become big shot generals and they all wanted revenge on Emily. After all because of her passing the state alchemy exam, she would graduate a higher rank than them. They couldn't do much though, due to Emily's Ishbalan friend, he was a strong guy, good in a fight, even though the only fighting he did was in training. Even the Colonel herself was much stronger than they had first thought, her small skinny frame lean with muscle that they hadn't seen because of their arrogance. She could take an upperclassman on in training no problem, so she was a hard target, especially if she had a transmutation circle and a spark. The soldiers' only hope was to get her alone and off guard and that's what they did, she was reading while walking, not paying much attention to her surroundings, her friend was doing extra training and she hadn't had a theory class that day so there was no transmutation circle doodled on her hand. The soldiers grabbed her as she walked past an alley and two of them together managed to hold her back from ripping someone's face off. She still managed to kick one of them before they started beating the crap out of her. Winded and bruised, the two soldiers holding her let her go as she struggled to breath and then, stupid as she is, she got up and punched the leader straight on the nose, it bled badly and before the other's could retaliate and fight some more, I appeared holding a gun I had borrowed from the shooting range. They left her alone pretty quickly, laughing as they tried to persuade me to shoot Emily. Instead I lit a match, and suddenly their feet were burning again, they ran off before she could burn anything else. Her nose and lips were bleeding badly and I'm pretty sure she fractured her ribs but you know what she said to me,"

Hughes paused, smiling as he remembered. "She stood up, looking like she was about to fall over and like the idiot she is told me 'I didn't ask for your help, Hughes' I must say I was slightly surprised that she knew my name, but then I realised we were in some of the same classes and looking at her then I smiled at her and replied 'You didn't need to' and she gave me a strange look as she wiped the bloody transmutation circle off the back of her hand and turned to walk away, the opposite direction to the infirmary might I add and then promptly collapsed right there in that alley, leaving me to haul her sorry ass into a hospital bed, something I've had to do a lot since then."

Hughes stopped walking, noticing the two boys had stopped a few seconds ago, they both looked confused and slightly shocked. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just," Edward paused, unsure of how to continue, he didn't want to make it seem like he had a lot of respect for the Colonel already. "The Colonel seems so..."

"Invincible? Yeah, she wishes. She gets injured more than anyone I know, once she came into the office after being shot and no one noticed until after I slapped her on the back and the blood seeped through her uniform, honestly I've never heard her swear so much, she had no concern for her wellbeing whatsoever, it's ridiculous." Hughes explained, laughing slightly at the Colonel's distinct hatred for any type of medical facility. Ed and Al, looked at each other, neither of them being able to imagine that happening but neither questioning the circumstances.

They reached a tall apartment building and Hughes led the way inside, back to chatting about Gracia's amazing cooking and Elicia's adorableness. Alphonse joined in on the easy chatter but Edward stayed silent, lost in his thoughts. Hughes pretended not to notice as they rode the elevator up and got out at the fifth floor, knocking at the first door they came to. After a few seconds, a pretty woman with short, light brown hair and kind eyes answered the door and smiled at them as a small bundle of energy hurled itself at Hughes. He caught the ball of energy, laughing as he did so.

"DADDY!" The kid yelled, hugging Hughes tightly, he hugged her back then set her down, giving his wife a quick hug. Edward and Alphonse couldn't help but admit to themselves that the kid was adorable, with cute pigtails and a 100watt smile. Although Edwards smile quickly turned into a snarl as Elicia made the decision that he was the younger brother.

"Hello Elicia, I'm Edward and this is my little brother, Alphonse, get it? Little brother" He said through gritted teeth. Al held Edwards hood tentatively, in case he decided to attack the small child, which would definitely get them kicked out of Hughes's apartment.

"Nu-uh," the kid said stubbornly. "Younger means little, you're little." Edward looked like he was about to start foaming at the mouth when Elicia smiled again and Edward found himself softening a little. Elicia grabbed Al's large hand and dragged him into the apartment, similar to how Hughes had dragged Edward from the Colonel's office and Al couldn't hep but wonder if Elicia was taking after her father. As Gracia smiled warmly at them she told them to take their shoes off before also disappearing inside to tend to the delicious smells wafting out, leaving Hughes and Edward to close the door. Edward took off his coat, hanging it on the coat stand, Hughes doing the same, although Hughes's black military coat was a lot longer than Edwards red leather one. As Ed removed his gloves Hughes noticed the automail arm and nodded quietly to himself, he would ask the Colonel about them tomorrow, he told himself, knowing that she would have squeezed the information out of the two boys.

"Hey Hughes," Edward said, turning to the older man, glad that they were alone. He had wanted to ask him this from the minute Hughes had finished telling him and Al the story. "What happened to the Colonel's friend?"

Hughes looked at him for a second before looking away, he was quiet for a few seconds before answering, his voice hard to hear against the racket in the dining room. "He died"

Turning on his heel, Hughes made his way into the dining room, leaving Edward alone in the hall, listening to the loud sounds of Hughes's family and wondering if he'd ever be as happy as the man who loved his family with all his being.


	4. Chapter 4

Colonel Emily Chase watched silently from her office window as Hughes, Ed and Al made their way out of Central, Hughes was talking happily and Emily had no doubt that he was telling the brothers either about his family or something about her past, by the interested looks Ed was giving Hughes, Emily assumed it was the latter. As she watched them walk out of sight the door to her office opened and Hawkeye walked in.

"Sir?" He asked quietly, making Emily divert her attention from the shrinking figures. "Can I have a word?"

Emily turned her full attention to Hawkeye; he was standing at the door to her office, one hand still resting on the doorknob. His uniform as usual was neat and Emily could see his gun holster just under his jacket. Looking beyond him she could see the interested faces of her men staring through the doorway sneakily from their desks. She had no doubt that they had been discussing matters together before Hawkeye had finally come to ask her opinion.

"Yes Lieutenant?" The Colonel replied, walking back over to her desk and arranging unsigned papers into a pile. Hawkeye glanced at them, eyes narrowed slightly as he continued.

"About the Elrics," He paused as the Colonel stared at him with cool eyes. "They're just kids, they're too young to be joining the army, and they won't be ready for things that they're going to see"

The Colonel stood still for a moment, the silence in the office deafening as her subordinates strained their ears to hear her response. "Believe me, they've seen a lot more that you can imagine."

Hawkeye looked like he was going to continue but decided against it, instead he reminded her. "Those papers are due in fifteen minutes."

There was mild panic evident in the Colonel's eyes as she glanced down at the pile of papers. She sat down quickly and grabbed her pen, furiously signing off the papers while Hawkeye helpfully grabbed half and left the room, distributing the papers round the men sitting looking daggers at him. Every man sitting there was perfectly capable of forging the Colonel's signature and it was times like this when it came in handy. Ten minutes later, looking slightly harried, the Colonel emerged from the office holding now signed papers. Hawkeye collected the other papers from the different subordinates along with the Colonel's papers and silently left to deposit them, noticing the look of gratitude from the Colonel as he did so. He simply rolled his eyes when he left the office, walking briskly to meet the deadline. After handing in the papers to the pretty receptionist he smoothly planned a date with her, she blushed and forgot her planned date with Havoc, smiling Hawkeye walked back towards the office at a much more leisurely pace than before.

"So you two, I hear you're from Risembool, what brings you all the way to Central to do this exam" Hughes's tone was light and conversational but Edward didn't miss the interested look in his eyes as he asked the question.

"We um-" Edward began, not sure of what to say. Sure Hughes seemed nice and he'd taken them in but Edward couldn't tell him the real reasons they had come to Central. Edward struggled to think of a reason that sounded plausible but was saved by Gracia's timely arrival.

"Oh, Hughes dear, stop pestering the boys with questions, I'm sure they're tired after that long journey, and hungry." Gracia appeared with a huge platter of spinach quiche and set it on the table, the smell made Edward's stomach growl loudly and Gracia laughed, cutting him a large piece. She also cut Al a large piece and set it in front of the two boys. Hughes didn't fail to notice the look that passed between the two boys as the plate was placed in front of Al; Ed's face was one of guilt while Al stared at him with forgiveness.

Gracia continued splitting up the quiche, giving a large slice to Maes and a smaller slice for herself, the smallest slice went to Elicia who promptly attacked it with her spoon. Hughes attacked his in a similar manner while Gracia ate delicately. Edward munched away while Al left his on his plate. Hughes and Gracia politely ignored that fact but as soon as Elicia noticed she spoke up.

"Al! You haven't eated anything! You need to grow up to be big and strong like daddy!" Elicia told him, smiling with spinach quiche around her mouth, Ed looked down at his plate, his hair hanging over his face as Al lifted a bread roll from the basket and opened his armour slightly and threw the bread roll in, there was a slight clang as the bread hit the hollow inside of his armour which Hughes couldn't help but notice.

"Yum" Al emphasised, his soft laugh sounding choked. Edward didn't look up from his plate as Elicia grinned, clearly satisfied and went back to her own food. Polite conversation was made after that, staying off the subject of Ed and Al's appearance and focusing on more general topics such as Risembool or their common acquaintance of the Colonel, which turned out to be a popular topic of discussion.

"So she really set fire to top secret documents?" Edward laughed, Hughes nodded enthusiastically. He had brightened up considerably as he listened to Hughes's very amusing stories about his and the Colonel's adventures together in the academy, Central and Eastern command.

"She was delirious from a concussion she had failed to report and had no idea that those papers were that important, or maybe she did know and set fire to them out of spite. After that a notice went up on the notice board beside the rules and regulations which basically stated that 'If any superior officer showed any symptom of injury that they should be reported immediately.' Then someone, probably Havoc pinned up a side note, stating that this applied to the Colonel, and that 'I didn't think it was that serious' was not an acceptable excuse." Hughes told him, laughing. "A lot more notices like that went up after that, you should read it when you go the Eastern HQ, I hear more get added all the time." Hughes told them, remembering quite a few notices he'd put up himself about random things about Eastern Command.

Ed and Al laughed. Gracia giggled then picked up the empty plates. Ed and Al also stood up. "Thank you Mrs Hughes!" Ed told her, smiling happily. His stomach now full with Gracia's delicious food, he wiped his hands on a napkin and pushed his chair in. Al did the same, his plate now empty, the quiche in Edward's stomach instead.

"Please, call me Gracia" She smiled, lifting up the last plate. She hurried into the kitchen and Ed grabbed the cups and Al took the bread basket, following Gracia into the kitchen to help her clean up. Hughes grabbed Elicia and disappeared from the dining room, presumably putting her to bed; sure enough he reappeared ten minutes later without the kid and began drying the dishesthat Grasia had washed. Gracia finished washing and motioned for the boys to follow her, leaving Hughes to finish drying.

"I'm afraid we only have one spare room, but I did put in two beds for you," Gracia told them, leading them down the hallway towards an open room. The apartment was well lit but cosy, childish pictures and family photographs lined the walls. "The bathroom is down the hall and if you two need anything, please don't hesitate to ask Maes or me"

She smiled and let the boys settle in and making her way back down the hallway she peered into Elicia's room. The little girl was sleeping on her back, mouth wide open and clutching a teddy bear to her chest. A book sat on the table top, Gracia recognised it as 'The Ugly Duckling' and smiled a bit, closing the door softly as she left the room.

Hughes was sitting on the couch when Gracia came in, chin on his hands. He looked up as she moved towards the couch opposite "They settled in?" He asked, taking a sip of tea from the mug in front of him, He lifted another and handed it to Gracia who took it gratefully.

"Yes, although I can't imagine two children like that joining the military." Gracia told him, curling up on the opposite sofa.

Hughes nodded. "I agree with you there, I was going to call Emily, see if she'll tell me anything." He put his mug down and cleaned his glasses thoughtfully.

"Just don't stay up too late, dear" Gracia told him, smiling as she left the room. Hughes stood up and made his way over to the phone. He dialled in a number and waiting for the ringing to start. Stretching the phone cord he reached for his tea. He picked the mug up and walked back to the handset, pushing it back towards the wall from its new position of teetering on the edge of the table.

He waited a few seconds, sipping on his tea thoughtfully before someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello?" Hughes instantly recognised Emily's voice as she answered.

"Yo! Emily!" Hughes announced down the phone line.

"I'm hanging up now," She told him, Hughes laughed, not entirely convinced that she was serious. He heard a sigh on the end of the line as Emily continued. "It's late. What do you want, Hughes?"

Hughes smiled as he imagined what the Colonel had probably been doing before he had called; he quickly narrowed it to two options; sleeping or working. "About the Elrics..."

He heard Emily sigh again. "Hughes, if you are calling to lecture me about them, I will find a way to set fire to you through the phone line"

Hughes laughed uneasily, knowing she wasn't kidding. "I just wanted to know their story. I mean one of them doesn't eat and wears a huge suit of armour while the other has an automail arm."

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. Hughes knew Emily was thinking hard. "Maes, they've been through a lot. You can see that in their eyes. They've lost a lot and are trying to find some way to replace it. They committed the taboo-"

"The taboo?! You mean human transmutation?" Hughes asked, shocked. He glanced towards the closed hallway door in case it was suddenly open. He knew about Human transmutation from Emily, who had explained that it was the worst thing for an alchemist to do and that anyone who committed it could be sent to prison or killed.

"Yes. Don't-" Emily stopped Hughes from saying anything else. "-say a word Hughes. I know what you're thinking but I know what I'm doing."

"Do you? Emily, if someone finds out about them-"

"I know what will happen, Hughes; I'm not going to let that happen." Emily told him, taking a drink of whiskey from the glass in her hand. She signed off another paper and threw it into a pile.

"Just be careful, Emily," Hughes said. "You know I'll always support you, no matter what"

Emily closed her eyes, taking another sip of whiskey. "By the way, how much do the Elrics now know about my personal life and my past?"

"Only the good stuff" Hughes smiled down the phone, imagining Emily gritting her teeth on the other end of the phone. Sure enough she was, narrowing her eyes at the fire roaring in the fireplace.

"Hughes..."

"Gotta go!" Hughes hung up quickly setting the phone down delicately as if Emily's flames could actually burn through the cables. On the other end of the line Emily set the phone down less than delicately, annoyed at Hughes's big mouth. She finished her whiskey and signed off on another paper, aware of the fire in the fireplace bending to her will as it tossed and turned, roaring loudly until settling again. Emily took a glance at the pile of unsigned papers which only seemed to grow and sighed, wondering where Hawkeye was when she needed him.


	5. Chapter 5

It was early the next morning when the Colonel knocked lightly on Hughes's door. A few seconds later the door flew open and Hughes appeared, grinning like an idiot. The Colonel regarded him with cool eyes, although her cool demeanour failed to burst Hughes's bubble.

"Emily!" Hughes laughed, grabbing her still poised wrist and dragging her inside.

"Gah!" The Colonel exclaimed, nearly tripping over as Hughes dragged her over the threshold. "Hughes!"

Hughes ignored her protests and continued pulling her down the hallway. "You know Emily you should really stop by more often, you haven't seen Elicia's new drawings! They're adorable."

They entered the dining room and Gracia appeared with a plate of pancakes which she set in front of Edward who eyed them hungrily.

"Emily," Gracia greeted warmly as the Colonel regained her composure, brushing her uniform down. Ed and Al glanced at her and Ed quickly gulped down a pancake and took a drink of orange juice.

"Good morning Gracia" Emily said, her warm tone an imitation of Gracia's. "Thank you for taking in the boys."

"Not a problem, Emily," Gracia told her, smiling as she gave Elicia a pancake. "Are you staying for breakfast?"

"Not today, I'm afraid. I'm just here to collect the Elric brothers. Their exam has been moved forward" Emily said, smiling as Elicia waved exuberantly at her.

"Moved forward?! What do you mean moved forward?!" Edward exploded. "We were supposed to have two weeks to prepare!"

Emily didn't react to Edward's explosion, instead answering calmly. "I don't make the rules, Edward."

Al spoke up; his soft voice having a calming effect on Edward whose clenched fists began to relax. "It's alright brother, you've studied enough brother, and you can pass the test easily."

Ed nodded. "Yeah I can. I will pass the test and become a state alchemist!"

"Otherwise known as a dog of the military" The Colonel spoke quietly to herself. Watching as Edward ran out of the room to fetch his suitcase, Al hot on his heels.

Hughes turned to the Colonel as Gracia left the room to fetch more orange juice and noticing slight shadows under Emily's eyes asked. "Late night?"

Emily turned to him, putting her hands into her pockets and smiling softly. "Something like that"

Hughes looked like he was going to say more but before he could Edward barged back into the room, holding his suitcase tightly. Al was close behind him, his metal suit clanging on the floor.

"We're ready!" Ed announced, putting his coat on quickly and yanking on his gloves. He looked excited, recovered from the news of the exam being brought forward. Emily watched his sudden eagerness with a certain amount of apprehension. Hughes noticed her slight look of alarm and slapped her on the back.

"Good luck Colonel" He laughed. "Try not to burn the two of them before they pass the exam, 'kay?"

"I'm struggling not to burn you right now, Hughes" Emily snarled quietly. "The only reason that you're not a pile of ashes right now is because I don't want to set a bad example to your daughter."

Hughes laughed again, putting his arm round Emily's shoulder. Emily gave him a look to kill and shrugged him off. Gracia giggled slightly at their exchange while Edward looked up from the notebook he had pulled from his jacket pocket, not having heard a word of their exchange.

"Ready to go kid?" Emily asked, holding her black coat in her arms she gave a small salute to Gracia and waved to Elicia before letting Hughes walk her and the boys to the door. Elicia waved enthusiastically back to her as she left the room.

"So Emily, if their exam date has been moved forward that means that yours has too then, right?" Hughes asked as they headed down the corridor.

"You have an exam?!" Edward blurted out, shocked. Emily glanced at him, looking slightly entertained by his confusion.

"A retesting" She explained offhandedly. "Every state alchemist must be retested every year to renew their certificate, mostly it's no more than a hassle but sometimes the fuehrer isn't impressed and doesn't renew their certificate."

"Nervous, Emily?" Hughes grinned, nudging her with his shoulder. Emily gave him a look of distaste before brushing down her uniform.

"Of course not. I'm the flame alchemist, they're not going to fail me" Emily told him, her indifference shocked Edward slightly. She had no doubts about passing the exam again, but then again why would she? Even normal people had heard of her and her alchemy, the only alchemist in the world that could control flames.

They reached the front door, and Hughes opened it for them. Emily walked through quickly, giving a quick nod to Hughes, Hughes smiled and called after her. "Try to get more sleep Emily!"

Emily only gave a backhanded wave as a reply, walking fast and Edward had to scurry after her.

"Goodbye Mr Hughes!" Al told him, waving happily before running to catch up with the Colonel and his brother.

The Colonel reached the lift first and it opened almost immediately, almost as if it recognised her authority. She stepped in and Ed and Al followed suit. The Colonel hit the button for the ground floor and leant against the side of the lift, staring unwaveringly at the brothers with a look that could easily be described as uninterested.

Ed couldn't help himself "Why are you staring at me?!" He blurted, his cheeks turning red.

"I'm trying to figure something out," Came the reply. "How are you planning to get your bodies back?"

Edward looked at her, the tips of his ears turning red too. "Well, um, I don't know"

The Colonel raised her eyebrows slightly before closing her eyes and sighing. "Please tell me you're joking." She said, holding the bridge of her nose as though she had a headache.

Al shuffled slightly and kicked at an imaginary piece of dirt on the floor of the lift while Edward bit his lip.

"At least tell me you can actually use alchemy." The Colonel muttered, opening her eyes.

That seemed to waken Edward's temper up. "Of course I can use alchemy! Why the hell would I be taking the test if I couldn't?!"

"I have no idea." The Colonel stated, leaving the lift, looking professional as she walked down the street, people seemed to know but looking at her that she held authority and moved out of her way, the military police saluting as they noticed her rank.

Edward held back questions as he struggled to keep up, the Colonel may only have been a little bit taller than him, seven or eight inches at most but she could walk fast, powering down the pavement without even trying. Even Alphonse, with his huge shell struggled to keep a pace with her and he wondered why they were hurrying.

The Colonel turned into Central Command but instead of heading straight for the retest hall she turned off and headed down towards a training hall.

"Um, Colonel?" Edward asked, still scurrying after her.

"Just follow me" She ordered, opening the large doors without much difficulty.

When both brothers were in the Colonel closed the door and moved to the centre of the floor, leaving Edward staring after her with confusion and slight suspicion.

"Okay Edward, show me what you've got" The Colonel told him, hands shoved lazily into her pockets.

"I don't want to hurt you Colonel." Edward informed her, but none the less removed his leather jacket and handed it to Al.

"Please, just attack me, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. This is the only time I'm going to give you permission to do this, no matter how much you may want to in the future," The Colonel said, still standing in the same position. "Unless of course, you're afraid that you'll get your ass kicked."

Edward began to lose his temper but his arrogance got in the way. "Ha! As if Colonel, no offense, but I could take you down easily."

The Colonel only smirked slightly. "A little pipsqueak like you?"

Then Edward lost it, ignoring his brother's attempt at soothing words, "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE CAN FIT THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE!"

He clapped and transmuted his automail arm, stretching it into a sword. The Colonel looked distantly impressed but boredom quickly took back her face as Edward raced towards her. When Edward had nearly reached her the Colonel's hands came out of her pocket and she easily moved the blade out of the way, twisting his arm round and wrapping her free arm around his neck, her slim fingers which wore ignition gloves poised to click.

"Brother!" Al shouted as Edward struggled in the Colonel's iron grasp. After a few seconds the Colonel released Edward and he stumbled forward, coughing slightly from the pressure on his neck.

"Just like I thought," The Colonel mused. "Talented but very, very arrogant"

She threw a glance to Edward who was looking like he was planning to murder her. "Make sure you're in the testing room in fifteen minutes." She turned on her heel and left, leaving Edward to pick his dignity off the floor.

"Brother! Are you okay?" Al asked, rushing to Ed's side.

Ed stared after the Colonel for a second before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine. I let her beat me."

Al sighed internally, noting Ed's gaze in the direction of the doors. "What are you thinking about Brother?"

"I just can get a solid read on her, first she's sarcastic, then she's cold and distant, then she's friendly and then she's cold and distant again," Ed groaned, tugging his braid. "It just bugs me."

Al nodded his agreement, Ed was the only pledge she had accepted even before she knew of Ed's alchemic ability, or maybe she had known.

"Brother, remember that soldier who came three years ago? When we tried to bring mom back? I think, I think it was-"

"Her." Ed finished, he thought he had recognised her; it had been a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he couldn't quite place. "She's changed though, if it even is her, I mean she has longer hair now and she has pierced ears and-" Ed stopped himself before he said the next few words. _And the eyes of a killer._

Al looked at his brother, he knew what he had been thinking and he had thought the exact same thing. Three years ago was the close of the war and all state alchemists had been drafted in to destroy the once prosperous city of Ishval and annihilate the Ishvalan people. The soldier had visited them mere days before the destruction started.

_Three years earlier:_

"_AL? AL?! What have I done, ALPHONSE!" Ed barely felt the pain in his leg, if he could call it that, the bleeding stump was all that was left of it. He looked around the room desperately but Al was gone, taken by the light. _

_A low, jagged sound of breathing met his ears, "Mom?" Ed turned painfully towards the sound, desperate hope rising in his stomach. The thing that his eyes met was not his mother, it didn't even look human. It stretched out to him with long black fingers, its mouth opening and closing. Ed turned his eyes away, unable to look at it. He backed away and his body hit a suit of armour, causing it to clash loudly to the floor. He crawled round to it, well aware of the blood spilling from his stump. _

"_Take my arm, take my sight, take my heart, ANYTHING! Just give him back! He's my little brother, GIVE HIM BACK!" Ed shouted, tears spilling from his eyes, he finished drawing the bloodied seal and clapped his hands together, the flash of light blinding him as he placed his hands to the armour._

"Brother?" Al asked, jolting Ed out of his daydream.

"Huh?" Ed shivered at the sudden breeze through the open door.

"I said we should probably go, you can't be late for your exam." Al told him, handing him his leather coat.

"Oh, yeah." Ed furrowed his brow. "But if she knew us, why didn't she say anything?"

"Maybe she wanted to test us, to see if we would tell her the truth. I'm sure Granny didn't tell her much when she came the first time."

"You're probably right." Ed replied, taking his coat and running out the door. "Come on Al! We're gonna be late!"


End file.
